ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Kevin was very helpful. Beautiful experience with good price
The safari was amazing. We saw almost all the animals
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An epic and circular journey through Uganda
My 18 year old son and I went on a 17-day tailor-made trip with Buffalo Safari Camps, visiting Lake Bunyoni, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Lake Mutanda, Queen Elizabeth Park, Murchison Falls NP, Kidepo Valley and Sipi Falls. We also visited the Ik and Karamoja tribes.
Rogers our guide is well-liked wherever he goes and has a pleasing personality, and most importantly, a good ethical stance in regards to the wildlife. He lingers long enough for you to have great looks and photos, but not so long that the animals are hindered by our presence. He has a lot of knowledge of both the wildlife and finding his way around the crazy, dusty, bumpy and largely unmarked roads. Halfway through our tour we started bush camping, and our cook - David - joined us. Great with flavors, he was also an amiable presence. I think they are both talented, intelligent and right-minded men.
I will be dreaming of giraffes, hippos, elephants and lions for many months to come. And all of the gorgeous people of Uganda.
QA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
very experienced and advice the tour as required by us. follow up for our needs was proper.
communications and understanding was appropriate, we received what we wanted. The driver cum guide was well experienced and knew the places with animials. the hotel provided was adequate and as expected.
NO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari experience
I went to Kenya with my boyfriend. We were supposed to go on a safari first, and then spend 10 days on the beach in Diani. We had booked a 6 day safari with Karibu Safari, which included Masai Mara, Nakuru and Amboseli. The last month before the trip, we had alot of contact with the safari agency. Robert answered all our questions quickly. We really appreciated that and it made us secure and informed. The plan was to be picked up at the airport in Nairobi as soon as we arrived, and start the safari the same day. Unfortunately our flight got delayed from Oslo, so we arrived one day later. When I contacted Karibu to reschedule the safari for the next day, the agency was really helpful.
The van we used was a bit run down, but the seats were comfortable. We were 6 people in the van in Masai Mara, plus the driver Aron. Thereafter we were 4 in the van, plus Aron. The roads are dusty and bumpy in many places, but Aron made us feel safe and well taken care off by him. Arony seemed to be a very experienced driver and he had much knowledge about the animals we saw, In Masai Mara we were very lucky and saw the big 5. Aron ensured that we got the best out of the game drives. We had plenty of time to take pictures. Aron was driving us as close to the animals as possible, and at the same time respecting them and their space. The wildlife in Masai Mara and Amboseli was amazing.
The only negative part was that the agency could not take us to Nakuru right after Masai Mara, as planned. They said that the reason was because of our flight delay and that they had to reschedule it this way. After Masai Mara we went to Amboseli. Karibu safari offered us to go to Nakuru afterwards or bring us back to Nairobi. The trip from Amboseli to Nakuru involves several more hours of driving than from Masai Mara, and we decided not to go there after all. Because of this, Karibu Safari gave us some money back. Allthough we were a bit disappointed, we appreciated the deal, and it seemed fair.
In Amboseli we stayed in tented camps where we had our own room with private bathroom. The standard is budget, but the camps in Masai Mara and Amboseli were okey. They served buffet for breakfast and dinner, and we were able to charge our cameras and phones. All in all; we had a great safari experience and will highly recommend Karibu Safari. Make sure you ask for Aron as a driver :)
Experience level: over 5 safaris
my amazing experience of my safari trip to uganda with Bird nest
The warm welcome to Uganda summarised the nature of the hospitality we were yet to receive.
Our group was quite big but these guys managed beyond our expectations
They faithfully stuck to the schedule that was planned prior to the safari. Hotel check-ins were smooth and destinations arrangements were as per our brief.
Ms. Patience from the Bird's Nest Safaris was extremely responsive to every single mail and telephone call. Also, our Driver Eddie was more than just a tour companion, in fact he became part of the family for the entire length of the safari.
During our 6 days game safari in Uganda we were able to visit the Murchison Falls park, Queen Elizabeth National park and Kibale Forest, all the sightings are still fresh in our memories, the kids liked the chimpanzees so much. Boat cruise on both river Nile and Kazinga channel and watching birds and water loving animals along the banks was rewarding.
If you are a family travelling with ladies and children then Bird's nest is a trustworthy option to look into and Uganda in particular be your destination. I can't thank you enough.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful family road trip to South Africa
We booked a trip with Tailor Made Safaris through a travel agent based in Canada.
Positive elements:
- We had excellent service before and during the trip. They always answered our questions quickly.
- We really appreciated getting such a nice book of our upcoming trip.
- The reception at the airport was also flawless.
- We appreciated that they gave us a phone for the duration of the trip.
- The itinerary made us visit a good chunk of the southern part of South Africa (including places that we would not have picked ourselves).
Less positive elements:
- Looking back, the travel agent made us buy the plane ticket first, and then looked for an itinerary and accommodations. In the end, we ended up spending more than we had planned and staying in 1-2 places (out of the 6 where we stayed) that were below our expectations. It would have been preferable for us to reduce the duration of our stay under those circumstances.
- We quickly ran out of airtime for the phone and it would have been appreciated to have been given the opportunity to buy airtime ahead of time.
- The itinerary did not fully consider what would be open and closed around the Christmas holidays. We would have appreciated more guidance on that.
- The itinerary mostly focused on expensive activities and not so much on budget-oriented ones (assuming most people do not have an unlimited budget, especially families with multiple children).
Overall, we really enjoyed our trip to South Africa and are happy to have used the services of Tailor Made Safaris, as it gave us the opportunity to discover wonderful places we probably would never have been if we had designed our own itinerary.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great Safari adventure
The Safari was great. We had an excellent tour guide, the lodges where very comfortable and the parks we visited were stunning. We had some waiting times when entering the parks because of late payments. This is why we give 4 out of 5 stars. But it all worked out in the end. In total it was an unforgetable Adventure and we can warmly recommend Kwesa.
BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A good value for money ratio, nothing more
The accomodation was ok, apart from the mosquito nets full of holes, totally inefficient. The food was good! The first guide we had didn't stop long enough to observe the animals quietly, hardly ever turned off the engine of the van, and was all the time busy with the radio (which is good to spot the animals and share with the other vans, but not all day long!! Very noisy! ) The second guide was much calmer, gave many explanations and showed an interest in sharing his incredible knowledge!
We did a marathon game drive (not as planned) a full day instead of splitting on two days (as planned) with an early morning game drive the second one, which would have been less exhausting, less haste and hence more enjoyable (and also, I suspect the objective of the agency was to save the entrance fee just for one morning; the entrance fee is valid 24 hours)
Although it is written down in black and white, the programme is "flexible", which has both advantages and disadvantages.
At the end we took a bus with a company (Tahmed) partner of the agency: very bad experience: the staffmember on board (not the driver) was very rude after I said I didn't need a taxi at the arrival, and kept looking at my daughter (23) as if she was a piece of meat! Very unpleasant!
Otherwise, it's pretty well organised, the staff on the camp sites are really sweet and quick to react to meet your needs.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The wildlife was magnificent, exciting to see the animals so close up
The safari worked so well as all the arrangements are in place so accommodation ,food transport were fine . Some of the tracks were rough but that is Kenya!The guide was an excellent spotter & pointed out the animals well before we saw them & also explained about their social way of living. The highlights were the elephant groups & their interaction.
DE
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
We rent cars at Shoebill Safaries to reach different places in Uganda.
We are running a little project with school fees. Every two years we visit Uganda to meet our beneficiaries, look around the schools, discuss with the teachers, and meet our partner.
To reach all these places and to be independent from the puplic transport system with all its problems we need strong and reliable cars. We found such cars at Shoebill Safaris. We haven´t had any trouble during this time in Uganda, neither in the City of Kampala nor at any other place.
We are looking forward to contact Shoebill Safaris again, whenever we return to Uganda.